I recently got interested in this guy when my senior English teacher lent me the 1948 version of "Hamlet." I've been in love with him ever since. Feel free to sign my Laurence Olivier SlamBook and vote in my Laurence Olivier poll (above).
Here are some movie reviews from Laurence Olivier's movies. Some of his movies have been based on plays and books and I will tell you that I have read the plays and books before viewing the movie (unless otherwise stated). They will also be in alphabetical order and for the parents, I'll include the subject matter so you can see whether or not the kiddies can see it.
1. Divorce of Lady X, the (1938) - Wonderful romantic comedy about a lawyer (Olivier) who lets a mystery woman (Merle Oberon) spend the night in his hotel room.
Subject matter: Some extremely mild adult situations, alcohol is present. Ages 12 and up.
2. Hamlet (1948) - Brilliant adaptation of Shakespeare's tragedy and the second installment of Olivier's Shakespeare Trilogy. Olivier produced this film and directed himself to an acting Oscar as well and so far, he is the only actor to do that. Olivier plays the doomed Danish prince who avenges his father's death. Look for an 18-year old Jean Simmons as Ophelia.
Subject matter: Some adult content, wine is present, some cursing but in good taste. Ages 14 and up.
3. Henry V (1944) - The first installment in Olivier's Shakespeare trilogy and an awesome adaptation of Shakespeare's historic play. Olivier plays Henry V, the ambitious, young King of England who goes to war with France. Olivier won an honorary Oscar for this film.
Subject matter: Pretty harmless except for some war violence. Ages 12 and up.
4. Jesus of Nazareth (1977) - This is a cool movie but it was originally a TV miniseries and it expands to 3 video tapes! Olivier plays Nicodemus (can't spell his name) and it's only a brief appearance in the movie.
Subject matter: Mild violence. Ages 13 and up and I would seriously doubt that the kiddies would sit through a 3-video-tape movie.
5. Nicholas and Alexandra (1971) - This is a good movie about the last monarchs of Russia, Nicholas II (Michael Jayston) and his wife, Alexandra Fydorovna (Janet Suzman). Laurence Olivier plays Count Sergius Witte, one of Nicholas II' advisers. I'm also a fan of Nicholas and Alexandra. Check out my Nicholas and Alexandra webpage.
Subject matter: Some adult themes and cursing. Ages 12 and up although anyone that young won't want to sit through this movie, which is 3 hours long, but if they can sit through Titanic, which is 20 minutes longer, they can sit through this one.
6. Pride and Prejudice (1940) - Hilarious romantic comedy and brilliant adaptation of Jane Austen's novel. Olivier plays Fitzwilliam Darcy who flirts and woos with Elizabeth Bennet (Greer Garson), one of the five eligible Bennet daughters.
Subject matter: Perfectly harmless although the kiddies won't understand the plotline. Ages 10 and up.
7. Prince and the Showgirl, the (1957) - Funny romantic comedy about the Prince of Carpathia (Laurence Olivier) and an American showgirl (Marilyn Monroe) who fall in love, despite the fact that they are total opposites.
Subject matter: Adult themes (probably because Marilyn Monroe is in it) and vodka is consumed at frequent intervals. Ages 13 and up.
8. Rebecca (1940) - Beautiful adaptation of Daphne DuMaurier's novel. Olivier earned an Academy Award nomination for his portrayal of Max De Winter in the film. Joan Fontaine is also great as the second Mrs. De Winter. Alfred Hitchcock's direction is superb. This movie is great for any Saturday night.
Subject matter: Some mature themes and themes of death are involved. Ages 13 and up.
9. Richard III (1955) - Excellent adaptation of Shakespeare's historic tragedy and the third and last installment of Olivier's Shakespeare Trilogy. Olivier plays the sniveling villian Richard as he devises an evil plot to take the throne of England. Olivier was nominated for an Academy Award as best actor but it was received by Yul Brynner for "The King and I" (rent it...it's an awesome movie).
Subject matter: Adult themes, violence, some cursing but it's done in good taste. Ages 14 and up.
10. Romeo and Juliet (1968) - Wonderful adaptation of Shakespeare's romantic tragedy. Olivier is the narrator of the film but he only speaks in the beginning and the end of the film. The film is basically about the famed star-crossed lovers Romeo Montague (Leonard Whiting) and Juliet Capulet (Olivia Hussey) who meet, marry, and commit suicide in one week. This is a masterpiece that's brilliantly directed by Italian director Franco Zeffirelli, who was nominated for best director for this film (he has a new film out called "Tea With Mussolini" with Cher. I haven't seen it but I'm going to wait until it's out on video).
Subject matter: Adult themes and violence. I'd say ages 13 and up.
11. Wuthering Heights (1939) - Brilliant adaptation of Emily Bronte's novel. Olivier plays Heathcliff who falls in love with his childhood friend Kathy (Merle Oberon).
Subject matter: Perfectly harmless except for a little mild violence. Ages 12 and up.
Well, that's it! There's more to come and I had just finished reading "Rebecca" by Daphne DuMaurier and I now have a review up if you haven't noticed already (I finally decided to quit being lazy and go rent the darned thing).
Here's a little bit about Laurence Olivier.
*He was born in Dorking Surrey, England in 1907.
*He was knighted in 1947.
*He took a seat in the House of Lords in 1970.
*He starred in several films and acted in several plays at a theater called "The Old Vic."
*He was married three times.
*His first marriage was to Jill Esmond for 10 years from 1930 to 1940, which gave him a son, Tarquin Olivier (1936). Tarquin Olivier has written a biography about his father titled "My Father, Laurence Olivier." Read it, it's a great book. Also read Laurence Olivier's book, "Laurence Olivier on Acting."
*His second marriage (probably the most famous) was to Vivien Leigh from 1940 to 1960 (you can see her in "Gone With the Wind," another awesome flick).
*His third marriage was to Joan Plowright which lasted from 1961 to his death. The marriage gave him 3 children, Richard, Tamsin, and Julie-Kate.
*He died in England in 1989 when I was only 8 years old.
That's about it for Laurence Olivier (he's my favorite actor). Updates will come up soon. The reason why I don't have pictures of Laurence Olivier here is because I have a cheap scanner that won't work. When I do get a working scanner, I'll have pictures of him. If you have problems with the links or the information I provided, email me.
A little bit about me:
*My name is Shannon
*I am almost a college freshman...I start on Aug. 23, 1999.
*I like to attend church, read, write, surf the net, shop, watch TV, watch old movies on TV (I like new movies too, but I like the older ones better), watch history documentaries, play recreational softball, hang out with friends/family, and lots of other stuff.
*I am a Shakespeare fan and my two favorite plays are "Hamlet" and "Romeo and Juliet."
*I love to read and I plan on majoring in literature with a minor in journalism. My favorite book of all time is The Bible (yes, I'm Christian). I love several other books too. I am also a fan of the famed "Anne Series."
*I live in San Diego, Ca.
*I have two pets, a goldfish named Lefty (long story on how he got his name) and a pet cockatiel (a kind of bird) named Alvin.
*I have NO siblings so it gets kind of lonely here when my parents are at work.
*I just recently graduated from high school about a month ago (top 22% of my class).
*I have a set of parents. My mom works at a hardware store and my dad owns his own roofing business.
Well, that's just about it. Hope you like this page!
From your dedicated webmaster,
Shannon :)